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After avoiding arbitration with Jason Hammel and Jim Johnson earlier this evening, the Orioles may be on the verge of taking care of their lone remaining case. The O's are close to a two-year deal with Darren O'Day that would include an option for a third year, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter).

The two-year deal will cover O'Day's remaining years of arbitration, putting him in line to test free agency after the 2014 season. Johnson, who had previously earned Super Two status, filed for $3.2MM this winter while the O's offered $1.8MM.

The Orioles and Darren O'Day have agreed to a two-year deal with a club option, according to the Beverly Hills Sports Council (on Twitter). In a radio interview earlier today, O's GM Dan Duquette said that he had struck an agreement on a one-year pact to avoid arbitration with O'Day but was working on a two-year agreement.

The two-year deal covers O'Day's remaining years of arbitration, putting him in line to test free agency after the 2014 season. O'Day, who had previously earned Super Two status, filed for $3.2MM this winter while the O's offered $1.8MM.

With O'Day signed, the Orioles have now taken care of all of their arbitration eligible players. Baltimore took care of two in one day on Friday as they agreed to deals with Jason Hammel and Jim Johnson.

A_K wrote:Given it some thought. I certainly don't hate the move, but I think there's a less than 50 percent chance O'Day lives up to this contract.

Could I ask why? Do you think relievers hardly ever live up to long contracts because of their inconsistency, or do you think O'Day isn't good enough to get such a contract? I see an absolute stud in O'Day and I think he is and has been the best relief pitcher in the Orioles bullpen for one and a half years now.

Typically, the team back loaded the contract. Based on the current market we have certainly gotten a 4M RP this year, but we may not next year and then we'll have a 3.2M problem instead of a 1.2M that we might have been willing to cut loose if we needed to replace him.

captainjack wrote:I think Jim Johnson is and has been our best reliever for two years. Without him, this club would not have made the playoffs last year or have a chance this year

I'll admit. What Johnson did last year was incredible. A 94% save percentage and 51 saves is defintely something to bragg about. Considering losing three games was the difference between playoffs and no playoffs, it is more awesome and eye opening how successful Johnson was. Either after all that, O'Day has still been better. Practically every pitching statistic favors O'Day over the course of Johnson's brilliant 2012 to his underwhelming 2013. Tell me, why is it that coming into the game to record three outs at the beginning of the ninth inning is more important than coming into the game to record three outs in the eighth inning? Let Johnson keep coming on with nobody out and nobody on in the ninth inning, record the save, and get all the media recognition. When really, O'Day and Hunter come in with second and third one out and shut the opposition down; they should be the ones getting the credit at the end of the season. But for some reason, saves are put into a whole other class than holds.

Darren O'Day's extension has been well worth it. He's pitched to a 1.71 ERA, 0.997 WHIP, 3.92 K/BB since signing the extension. He's been worth 6.6 WAR since the Orioles claimed him. That was a brilliant acquisition, although I'm not really sure why he was made available to Baltimore in the first place. Yeah, he had a injury riddled 2011 campaign, but from 2009-2010, O'Day pitched to 1.94 ERA, 0.945 WHIP, 3.37 K/BB. This is the last year the extension covers, and but the Orioles have a $4.25MM option for next season.